[JURIST] An Argentine judge ruled Monday that former Argentine President Reynaldo Bignone [Wikipedia profile] should stand trial for the kidnapping of children of dissidents killed during Argentina's 1976-83 "Dirty War" [GlobalSecurity backgrounder; JURIST news archive]. The children were allegedly given new identities after their kidnappings. Bignone also faces trial [JURIST report] on separate charges connected to the illegal arrest, torture and killing of dissidents at secret detention centers in Buenos Aires.

Bignone was the last of Argentina's 1976-83 military dictators before democracy was re-established in 1983. Nearly 13,000 people are officially reported as missing during the military crackdown, although human rights groups say the toll is closer to 30,000 victims. Argentine authorities arrested [JURIST report] Bignone, 78, in March pursuant to a statute that allows detention of suspects over the age of 70. Reuters has more.

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